The Butterfly Effect
by Groudon199
Summary: Olivia and Cloudflare have been through a lot since the start of the school year. Olivia was chased out of CHS, Cloudflare made amends with Sunset Shimmer after months of torment brought on by her, and both were reunited at the Friendship Games. But what if things went a little differently? [Series of one-shots, mild language, Equestria Girls universe]
1. FG, Cloudflare at Crystal Prep

**A/N: This story will consist entirely of "what if?" scenarios based around the characters from my "include them in the EG movies" stories (reading them is strongly recommended). See my profile page for their bios. More chapters will be added as I complete them.  
**

 **In this chapter, Cloudflare didn't meet the Dazzlings. As a result, he didn't go to the Battle of the Bands and he later transferred to Crystal Prep.**

 **Cloudflare wears a Crystal Prep uniform that looks similar to the one worn by Neon Lights (during the "Let's go! Shadowbolts!" part of the "Acadeca" song, second boy from the left), but without the tie or starred belt buckle. Olivia's Crystal Prep uniform matches Lemon Zest's, except her socks go past her knees. Her right sock covers a below-the-knee prosthetic leg. They are dating each other.  
Parts that would remain unchanged from the original "Friendship Games are Magic" stories will not be included.  
**

* * *

 *****Wednesday*****

Most of the class is lined up at the door, eagerly awaiting the final bell. Olivia and I are still sitting at our desks: Back left for her, center right for me.

The bell rings, and the students rush out. I stand up and put my backpack on. Olivia joins me.

"Of all the days for a pop quiz, a couple days before the Friendship Games?" she says. We leave the room.

"At least it wasn't too tough."

"Speak for yourself."

Shortly before the Fall Formal, Olivia transferred out of Canterlot High School. The hell she had to go through was too much. Unfortunately, that meant I was the students' sole target. The principal wasn't doing anything about it, and last month, I had all I could take. Three girls convinced the school to change the musical showcase into a musical competition, and they wrote me a note saying to meet them after school. As nice as potentially getting to know students who weren't aware of my reputation would've been, it was too late. I blew them off, and the next week, I transferred out. Crystal Prep was the only school available on short notice, so this is where I ended up. On my first day, I found out Olivia transferred to this school as well. That made things tolerable here, especially since the other students won't talk to either of us because we're former CHS students. After just one week, Olivia and I started dating again, and we became known as "the CHS couple". We don't have to keep it hidden, so our relationship advanced much more quickly this time. It helped that we have identical class schedules. We have the same first and fourth classes, while our second and third classes are swapped.

We get to the first flight of stairs. She puts her right arm around the back of my neck and grabs the railing with her left hand as I help her up the steps. The downside with our schedule is it takes us all over the school. Our lockers are next to each other's on the top floor, the first class is on the middle floor, her second class is on the ground floor, lunch is on the middle floor, her third class is on the top floor, and the final class is on the bottom floor. Principal Cinch gave me a similar schedule because she said we were both from CHS, but I'm pretty sure it was because she knew I'd help Olivia with the stairs and was tired of the complaining.

We do the same on the second set. Olivia didn't have stair issues at CHS. Principal Celestia made sure her schedule would have her use stairs as little as possible. Cinch did the exact opposite. Olivia was worried her prosthesis would become damaged from all the stress she was putting on it, and she was relieved when I showed up and started helping her.

We get to our lockers. She's not a fan of carrying 3 heavy books around all day, so she _has_ to stop at her locker. I told her I could do that for her, but she said that's not allowed. I open my locker and put my Biology book away, keeping only the Algebra book.

"Olivia? Cloudflare?" I close my locker and look to my right. It's Dean Cadance. "Principal Cinch wants to see you two."

"Right now?"

"She said it's real important."

Olivia sighs. "Alright..."

We walk over to the principal's door. "What do you think she wants?" Olivia asks me.

"No idea." I open the door. "You wanted to see us?"

"Come in, Cloudflare, Olivia."

Olivia closes the door behind her. This room is so dark, it feels like walking into an interrogation room from the movies. We sit on the stools in front of her desk.

* * *

When she's finished talking with us, we walk out of her office.

"See what I mean?" Olivia says. "She has it out for me!"

"I didn't think it would get _this_ bad."

"I'm surprised she didn't force me to take gym class."

"We won't be able to get out of going over there, but maybe we could throw the first round of the competition. That way, you won't have to do anything that could damage your prosthesis."

"If we do that, all the students are gonna hate us. I don't wanna go through that again, and neither do you."

"So what do we do?"

"We have to do well, but not well enough to advance. Considering how CHS picks their competitors, that might not be so easy."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and all of them are on sports teams."

"Why do you always have to be so positive?" she says with a smile.

I return the smile. "How do you think I stayed there for so long?" We kiss.

Her smile fades. "I'm not looking forward to going back, though."

I sigh. "Neither am I."

* * *

 *****Thursday*****

We step onto the bus.

"Are we gonna win?!" Man, Indigo Zap is super excited for this.

"Uh... Hell yeah?"

Really, Liv? "At least _try_ to act excited." I look at Indigo. "Sorry. We aren't too keen on going to Canterlot High."

"None of us are. That place sucks! We're excited about whooping their pathetic butts yet again!"

"They're not pathetic!" Olivia snaps. "Just... mean..." She got pretty defensive. I guess even after being ridiculed for so long, she's still a Wondercolt at heart.

"Oh right, you're the CHS couple."

"You two need to take your seats," the bus driver says.

As we start walking up the aisle, Indigo grabs my arm and looks at us angrily. "We're all putting in 110%. You two better do the same. Try any funny business, and you're gonna wish you _stayed_ at CHS." She gives us an 'I'm watching you' gesture, then lets me go.

"Told you we can't throw the first round," Olivia says quietly.

We make our way to the back. "I don't think we can even _half-ass_ it."

We sit in the second-to-last row on the door side: Olivia in the window seat, me in the aisle seat.

"Are we gonna win?!" Indigo again...

"Is she gonna say that to _everybody_ that gets on?"

She makes a buzzer sound. "Wrong answer! Try again. Are... we gonna... win?!"

A girl with dark blue hair steps into view at the front. "Um... I guess? I-It's just... I mean... I heard that CHS is doing well now. With their reputation. And – I mean, it's not better than ours, of course, but we can't let them do it, you know? Win, I mean? Right?"

The voice, the skin color, the hair color...

"You're gonna have to take your seat," the bus driver tells her.

She walks back, trying to find an open seat. She eventually sits behind us. "Hi, Sugarcoat."

"That was a really bad speech. You should consider not speaking in public."

Why does that girl seem so familiar?

"Something on your mind?" Olivia asks.

"I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."

"Who? Twilight?"

Her name's Twilight? Wait, _that's_ where I've seen her? "It's gotta be a coincidence... The day of the Fall Formal, a girl named Twilight Sparkle ran against Sunset Shimmer."

"Twilight _Sparkle_?"

"She looked identical to this Twilight and sounded exactly the same. Maybe she transferred out, since I never saw her again after that day. Or _before_ that day, now that I think about it."

"I remember my entire first week here. I saw Twilight in the hallway that Friday."

The bus starts moving.

"So if Twilight was here, who was singing in the cafeteria?"

"I dunno... Maybe her twin?"

"A twin with the same first and last name..."

"It could happen. One of them might be Twilight Sparkle, Jr."

"That's not how twin names work."

"Well, what other explanation is there?" She sounds agitated.

"Clone? I don't know, why don't you ask her?"

" _You're_ the one who brought it up! _You_ ask her!"

" _You_ said they could be twins!"

" _You_ asked me who I thought it could be!"

" _You_ –"

"Can you two _shut up_ for five minutes?!" Sour Sweet is angrily looking back at us from her seat. "You're giving me a _headache!_ " She turns back around.

I sigh. "I'll ask her later today," I say quietly.

* * *

The bus arrives at Canterlot High School.

"It's almost time," I say to Olivia.

"Yeah..."

I hold her hand. "I know you're nervous. If we keep worrying about it, we'll be miserable all day. Let's just get it over with." I stroke the underside of her wrist with my thumb in a circular motion.

She closes her eyes and lets out a pleased sigh, then smiles. "I guess you're right." She opens her eyes. "You always know how to cheer me up."

"Well, I know what you like." We kiss, then stand up and walk toward the front of the bus.

We step off. From the outside, the school looks the same as when I left.

"We're here..." She tightens her grip on my hand.

"Comin' through!" Indigo? She runs past us.

Something bumps into me, knocking me to the ground. I look next to me and see Twilight on the ground with me. "What the hell, Sparkle?!"

"Oh, sorry," she says while straightening one of her bangs. "I didn't mean to."

I stand up and brush the dirt off my uniform. "And I thought I had to worry about the CHS students..."

"Are you okay?" Olivia asks.

"I'm fine. Let's just get signed in." We get in line behind Indigo. I tap her on the shoulder. "Eager to get started, huh?"

She looks at me. "Well, you shouldn't have been standing there."

"She _does_ have a point," Olivia says.

"Why did you wait so long, anyway?" I ask. "You should've been the first person off the bus."

"I didn't want to, okay? Can't a girl get off when she wants?"

"You ran off the bus and shoved me out of the way. Clearly you were in a hurry, yet you took forever to get off in the first place."

"Well..." She pauses for a moment. "Shut up." She turns back around.

* * *

We open the door to the gymnasium. Streamers, balloons, a disco ball... They really went all-out with the decorations. So why is the banner so boring?

I take a deep breath. "You ready?"

She does the same. "As ready as I'll ever be."

We start walking to the Crystal Prep side. Several students are looking at us.

"Is that the legless girl?"

"Her boyfriend, too."

"What are they doing at Crystal Prep?"

So far, so good.

"Well, well... If it isn't the crippled freak." Damn it...

"And her weirdo beau!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon...

"Just keep walking," I whisper to Olivia.

"Why haven't you cut off one of _your_ legs yet?" Tiara says. "You two could join the circus _together!_ "

We continue walking, trying to ignore them.

"I was afraid of this..." Olivia says.

"I was actually expecting worse," I say. "Nobody laughed at us, and only those two were being hurtful."

We make it to the Crystal Prep side and sit in the middle row of the bleachers. Twilight is walking around, apparently looking for something. She's holding the pendant thing that's around her neck.

A few minutes later, six girls walk into the gym. I recognize athletic girl Rainbow Dash, energetic Pinkie Pie, and... _her_...

"Why are Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hanging out with her?" Olivia asks.

"I don't know. Maybe she's manipulating them somehow."

Sunset Shimmer walks up to Twilight, with the same scowl she's always had. Indigo cuts in, then Rainbow, the girl with the cowboy hat, Sugarcoat, the girl with light pink hair, Sunny Flare, and the girl with purple hair. Twilight backs into Pinkie, who's standing in front of the bleachers on our side.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!" She holds out her hand.

"Oh, hi. I'm Twilight." Twilight accepts the handshake, and Pinkie shakes her hand fast enough to de-bun her hair and almost knock her glasses completely off.

"I know. You look just like my friend."

Hang on a minute... "I knew it!" I stand up and walk toward her. "I _knew_ I've seen you before!"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"You _were_ here during the Fall Formal!"

"The what?"

"That wasn't Twilight," Pinkie says. "Well, that wasn't _this_ Twilight."

Um... "Really? Twilight _does_ have a twin with the same exact name?"

"Told you!" Olivia yells.

"I don't have a twin," Twilight says as she fixes her hair and glasses.

"Did you clone yourself?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Cloning _that_ advanced isn't possible. For now, at least."

"What's that thing?" Pinkie's looking at Twilight's pendant. I heard Pinkie's attention span was short, but I didn't think it was _this_ short.

"This?" She looks at her pendant. "It's sort of a spectrometer."

I walk back to Olivia. "Now I'm even more confused. Pinkie said there are two Twilights, but it wasn't a twin or clone. With her hair down and glasses off, she looks _exactly_ like the one from the Fall Formal."

Olivia looks puzzled. "Maybe... Maybe it was a future Twilight traveling back in time."

I raise an eyebrow. "Time travel? You're saying she becomes the Doc's companion?"

"Not quite. When time travel is possible, Twilight remembers what you said and travels back to the Fall Formal to see this other Twilight. Not seeing the other Twilight, she takes matters into her own hands, doing exactly what you saw her doing and becoming that Twilight in the process. It would explain how she was here and at Crystal Prep simultaneously and why she disappeared after the Fall Formal."

Self-fulfilling prophecy... "That... actually makes a lot of sense." More sense than the companion thing, anyway.

"Hello, everyone!" Principal Celestia is standing on the stage. "I'd like to take this opportunity to greet all of our visitors from Crystal Prep Academy and welcome them to CHS."

* * *

 *****Friday, daytime*****

"Welcome to the first event: The Academic Decathlon!" Dean Cadance says. "You'll be scored on chemistry, home-ec and everything in between. But remember, only the six students from each team with the most points will move on to event number two. Good luck!"

Olivia's hiding behind me. With Sunset Shimmer on the other team, I don't blame her. _Why_ is Shimmer on the team, though? And when did she get rid of her leather jacket?

* * *

The chemistry round was pretty uneventful. The only interesting thing was the cross-eyed muffin girl being the only person who messed it up. The bake-off wasn't too bad. We made a chocolate chip cake with chocolate icing, and while it wasn't anything special, it was better than the duo who made bread. In a cake-making contest. Olivia wasn't pleased that I got so worked up over that. The spelling bee was something. The only people who spelled anything right were Twilight and myself. The final round was a geometry question, with Sunset Shimmer solving it for CHS and Twilight solving it for Crystal Prep. Twilight got it right, winning the first event for our team. Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, Twilight, Olivia, and myself are moving on to the second event, much to my and Olivia's disappointment.

* * *

"You will race in pairs," Principal Cinch says to the six of us at the site of the second event. "Indigo Zap and Cloudflare will handle the motocross."

"Yes!" Can't fault Indigo for having school spirit.

"Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare have requested the rollerskate track."

They high-five.

"Since archery is a standard requirement in our school, any of you should be able to do it. Twilight and Olivia will start us off."

"Can Sour Sweet or Sugarcoat take my place?" Olivia asks. "I can't jump over those things."

"If you can handle taking the stairs, you can handle a little running and jumping."

"Yeah, because I take my time on them."

"Which means you shouldn't have any problems."

"But my... leg... isn't supposed to –"

"And there _won't_ be any problems from either of you."

She sighs. "Fine..." I hope she doesn't get hurt.

* * *

"What's the deal with your girlfriend?" Indigo asks as we walk to the top of the starting ramp.

"What do you mean?"

"She's not in any gym class, you have to help her up the stairs, and she tried to back out of the relay."

"I can't tell you."

"Why not? Is it something embarrassing?"

"Something like that..." We both agreed to never mention the prosthesis to the students. They probably won't care, but it's not worth the risk.

We reach the top of the ramp where the bikes are waiting. Ours are purple with blue wheels, green apple-colored hubcaps, an identical-colored lightning bolt design going from the handlebar area to the rear wheel guard, a blue-tinted windshield, and blue gems on the sides and where the headlight would be. The Wondercolts' bikes are each different colors. Rainbow Dash is sitting on the one right next to me, which is light blue with a dark yellow stripe on the headlight area, identical-colored hubcaps, and purple wheels and windshield. Sunset Shimmer – sure, why the hell not? – is on the other one, but I can't see it from where I am.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash."

She looks at me. "What's up?"

"Why is _she_ in this competition?

"Who, Sunset?"

"Not only does she _not_ do team stuff, she only cares about what _she_ wants! She wouldn't lift a finger to help CHS unless it benefits _her_ somehow!"

Rainbow looks surprised. "How did you..."

"I was a student here until last month. She ruined my girlfriend's life, and then she ruined mine."

"That's impossible. She saved the school last month, and she's been nice since the Fall Formal."

"This started way before – Wait, she's _nice_ now?" Not the first time I've heard that rumor, and it still sounds like complete bull. "And what do you mean she saved the school?"

"Welcome, everyone," Dean Cadance says over the PA system, "to the Friendship Games Tri-Cross Relay!" The crowd cheers.

"I'll explain later," Rainbow says.

"In this event, our qualifying competitors will face off in archery, speed skating, and finally, motocross." Rainbow and Indigo rev their engines. "So, if the competitors are ready..." Dean Cadance blows her airhorn, and Olivia and her CHS competitor take off. "Each competitor must hit a bullseye before their teammates can start the next leg of the relay."

Both of them carefully climb over the hay bales. At least she didn't have to jump. They reach the rope swing at the same time and get across without trouble. The Wondercolt's first shot lands a few feet in front of her. Olivia pauses for several seconds before taking her first shot, scoring a direct hit.

"Damn... She hasn't even been at CPA a full year and she's already _that_ good?"

"We have the best archery program in the state," Indigo says.

Twilight takes off, doing the same slow climb over the bales.

"How about explaining now?" I ask Rainbow. "We have enough time."

"Not for the full story. And before you ask, I'm not giving you the short version. You'll just have more questions for me."

I sigh.

The other Wondercolt takes off and leaps over the bales. Twilight is having trouble getting across the rope swing. By the time she makes it to the platform, the other girl gets there as well. Her first shot hits the outer ring, and Twilight's misses the target completely. The Wondercolt's next shot hits the center, and their skating duo takes off: Pinkie Pie and someone else.

"And Canterlot's off to an early lead."

Twilight's next 3 shots also miss.

"She's the smartest student at Crystal Prep, but the worst archer?" I say to Indigo.

She doesn't respond. I'm not sure if her expression is one of disappointment, anger, or both.

"If CPA can't hit another bullseye soon, they'll be out of this race."

Twilight drops her arrow. She's been here since her freshman year, yet she's worse than Olivia?

"I don't know which is worse," I yell to her. "Your motivational speech on the bus or your awful archery skills!"

"Cloudflare!" Olivia yells back angrily.

"What?! She sucks!"

"Can you at least _try_ to hold your tongue? That was something I'd expect Sugarcoat to say!"

The blonde-haired girl walks onto the Shadowbolts platform. A moment later, Twilight takes another shot. This time, it hits the target dead center, finally giving our skate team the okay to take off. Even though they're a lap behind, they catch up fairly quickly and take the lead.

One lap to go. I take a deep breath. Okay... The track is incredibly unsafe, but I can't focus on that. I take one last look around. The water jump is ridiculous, but maybe if I go full throttle, I can make it. I bet they didn't actually test this stuff. The last jump looks like something a Hot Rides track would have.

The light on our side turns green. As soon as I use the throttle, I realize how sensitive it is. Maybe ease into it so I don't wheelie myself to the hospital. Having to mess with the throttle put me in last as I reach the bottom of the starting ramp. The first dirt hump and turn are simple enough. Now for the water jump. Go full throttle and hope for the best. I hit the ramp and keep an eye on the edge of the landing one.

Wait, what's that purple thing?

I make it to the ramp. That wasn't as close as I expected. I reach the next dirt part and pass Sunset Shimmer. Near the next turn, there are some... plants? With mouth-like leaves? Coming out of a purple hole? Is _that_ what I saw before? It rears back, and I pull the brake as hard as I can. It lunges across the track, blocking my path. I manage to stop just before I drive into it, and Shimmer slides under.

What the hell do I do now?! I can't go around, and I'm not going under. I sigh. "Winning for Crystal Prep isn't worth this." I turn the bike around and drive back the way I came until I'm far enough away from that thing.

I look at the rest of the track. There's one on the final straight as well?! And is that Rainbow Dash... flying? With actual wings? She flies into one of the side of one of the mouths, slamming it into the ground.

"What the hell happened to this school?!"

I get off the bike, remove my helmet, and hurry over to the archery platform.

"Canterlot wins!" Nothing to say about the plants, Dean?

"You okay?" Olivia asks me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She pulls me into a hug.

"Attention, students," Dean Cadance continues. "Please proceed to the gym."

Olivia and I kiss. "Your prosthesis alright?"

"I think so."

The plants and holes disappear.

"What _was_ all that?" I ask.

"After Twilight got her bulls-eye, the second CHS girl started glowing orange and suddenly grew pony ears."

"Pony ears?" We hold hands as we walk to the school entrance.

"Then Twilight's pendant thing opened and started absorbing that orange glow. After she got it closed, she fell back and dropped it on the track. Lemon Zest kicked it to the other side, and that's when those purple holes started appearing."

"You saw Rainbow flying, right?"

"Yeah, I did. There's something really bizarre going on at this school."

We walk past the Wondercolts team. "The magic is going haywire," I hear one of them say, "and I have no idea how to fix it!"

Um... What?

"Did she say magic?"

I sigh. "Sure, why not? Magic plants, magic wings... Hell, maybe it was magic that made Sunset Shimmer a nice girl."

"Wait, what? Nice girl?"

"Rainbow said Shimmer's nice now and she helped save the school last month. No such thing happened while I was here, and that rumor's been going around since the Fall Formal."

"You don't believe her, do you?"

"Of course not!"

* * *

 *****Friday, evening*****

"I know I'm asking you to beat a team that isn't playing fair," Principal Cinch says, "but Canterlot High must be made to understand that even with magic at their disposal, beating Crystal Prep is simply not an option."

I still can't believe magic is actually real. It sounds like something out of a little girls' cartoon.

"What if they grow wings again?" Sugarcoat asks.

"A fair question. Though I believe we can now fight fire with fire." She looks at Twilight. "I've seen what your device can do, Twilight. Containing magical energy is fine, but have you considered releasing it?" I get the feeling that's a bad idea.

"But I don't even understand how it works."

"But you _want_ to. Since our opponents have already used it to stay competitive, I see no reason why we shouldn't do the same. Unless, of course, you have no _interest_ in Everton."

"Everton?" Olivia says. " _That's_ why you wanted Twilight on our team? No offense to her, but she couldn't even aim her arrows properly! She's a liability, and you forced her to join because she wants to go to Everton?!"

"What's Everton?" I ask.

"It's an independent study program," Olivia says.

"I merely gave her a choice," Cinch says. "She could've easily said no."

"But why would you hold something like that over her head? You bribed her!"

"Watch your mouth, cripple girl," Sugarcoat says. They... They know?

"Cripple girl... How did you..."

"Principal Cinch told us about your disability, dearie," Sunny Flare says. "Keep your trap shut and we won't spread the word." They're bluffing. They've gotta be!

"You wouldn't..."

" _Try us_ ," Sour Sweet says.

"Crystal Prep _always_ wins," Cinch says. "If we have to stoop to their level, then so be it."

"That's enough," I say. "I'm not gonna stand here while all of you bully Olivia like this."

"You're not out of the woods, either," Sugarcoat says. "You were hated at CHS because you were dating her."

I see what they're doing. "The Crystal Prep students don't give a crap about us! She won't be hated for having a prosthetic leg, and I won't be hated for dating her." I look at Twilight. "Twilight, don't do it. You've seen what happens when a _little_ magic is released. It could be a thousand times worse if you release _all_ of it. Besides, you don't even _care_ about this rivalry!"

"What she cares about is Everton," Cinch says.

"And if you care about your reputation," Sugarcoat says, "you'll mind your own business. Both of you."

The rumors about CPA _were_ true... I sigh. "Fine. I'll back off."

"A wise decision," Cinch says.

"Whatever happens next, I want no part of."

"You're giving up?" Olivia whispers to me.

"I don't want you to become a target again," I whisper back.

"I've been around the students longer than you. I know how they tick. Cinch is bluffing."

"I thought the same thing, but now I'm not so sure. I don't want to risk it."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do. It's Cinch that I'm nervous about."

 _Oh, wah oh wah, oh_

The hell...? The other students are singing?

* * *

Twilight's walking toward the other team, and she takes off her device.

This is too much. "We _have_ to stop this." We run toward Twilight, but get held back by the other students. "Twilight! Please, stop!"

 _Imagine all I'll learn by setting it free_

We try forcing our way through, but to no avail.

"If both teams are ready..."

 _And now winning these games depends on me_

"You're making a big mistake!" Olivia yells.

 _And what doors might open if I try to use it_

"The last event of the Friendship Games begins..."

 _But the magic's what I really want to see_

She's opening the device. I nod at Olivia, then we back up and charge forward, knocking a few of the students to the ground and finally getting past them. "Twilight!" we both yell.

 _Unleash the magic, free the magic..._

"Now!"

There's a bright flash of white, then the ball of magic contained in the device starts growing and she hovers in the air. She looks back at us, scared. "Help... me!" She reaches an arm toward us as the magic ball fully engulfs her. There's another bright flash.

Once I can see again, I look up. Twilight's clothes have changed into what looks like a strapless, dark violet dress, with the back of it being much longer, making it look like she has a tail. Her hair looks like a flame of purple, magenta, and black. She's grown large, dark violet wings and a long, light blue horn. Two light blue flames are around her eyes, resembling glasses.

I was wrong. This wasn't a bad idea. It was a _terrible_ idea.

She laughs evilly. "You were right! I didn't understand magic before, but now I do!" She hits the statue with a blast of magic, destroying the horse part and opening a portal. She aims a magic blast at the Wondercolts team, who barely get out of the way. Another portal opens at that spot.

Olivia clings to me in fear. We back up slowly while Twilight continues opening portals.

"Twilight, you can't do this!" someone says.

"Why not?! There's a whole other world right there, and it's just filled with magic!" Twilight opens another portal.

"But you're destroying _this_ world to get it!" Sunset Shimmer?

"So what?! There's more magic there, and I want to understand it all!" She aims a magic blast at Sunset, who jumps out of the way. The ground starts to break away. From where I'm standing, I can't see what's in the hole, but I _can_ see it widening. A few students on the Canterlot side have fallen in and are holding onto the edge.

"We need to save them," I say to Olivia. I run over to the girl with light pink hair who's clinging to the edge.

"Grab my hand!" I say to her. She does so with her left hand, and I start pulling her up. I glance to my right. Olivia is helping Lemon Zest with a purple-haired girl and two others who are clinging to her. The girl I'm holding onto gets her left leg back on the ground, and she gives me her other hand so I can finish getting her out of the hole.

"You alright?" I ask as she gets to her feet.

"I'm fine. Thanks for saving me." She starts glowing yellow. I wonder if this is what Olivia was talking about earlier. I look at Olivia, and the purple-haired girl they rescued is glowing purple. Glancing around the hole, the blonde-haired girl with the cowboy hat is glowing orange, Rainbow is glowing blue, and Pinkie is glowing pink.

Sunset is holding Twilight's device. "This isn't the way!" she says to Twilight. "I know you feel powerful right now, like you can have everything you want! I've been where you are. I've made the same mistake you're making. I put on a crown, and just like you, I was overwhelmed by the magic it contained. I thought it could get me everything I wanted." Is _that_ why she was so cruel?

"Oh, you're wrong. Unlike you, I _can_ have everything I want!"

"No you can't. Even with all that magic and power, you'll still be alone!" She hold the device up. "True magic comes from honesty..." An orange beam of light shoots up from the cowgirl. "Loyalty..." A blue light shoots up from Rainbow. "Laughter... generosity... kindness." The same happens with Pinkie, the girl Olivia saved, and the girl I saved. The lights flow into the device, and Sunset starts hovering. "I understand you, Twilight, and I want to show you the most important magic of all..." She closes the device and throws it on the ground, causing the ball of magic to engulf her. When the light clears, she's wearing a pink dress with a skirt that looks like the bottom of her normal shirt. The back of the dress goes past her feet, resembling a tail. Her boots are orange with a sun on them. She has a horn and glowing yellow wings. "...the Magic of Friendship!"

Was Rainbow... Was Rainbow right about her?

Sunset closes the rifts with her own magic, then she and Twilight charge at each other and they meet in the middle, resulting in a bright flash of light. When it clears, they fire a magic blast at each other, and the two beams collide. Twilight starts pushing Sunset's back.

I guess she _is_ nice now.

"Twilight!" All this magic exposure must be going to my head. It sounded like that dog just said something.

Sunset pushes Twilight's magic attack back at her.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

...

...

The light fades, and Sunset and Twilight float to the ground, both back to normal. The giant hole is gone, too.

"What... did I just see?" Olivia asks me.

"I think you saw the new Sunset Shimmer."

"Principal Celestia!" Cinch... "On behalf of Crystal Prep, I demand that you forfeit the Friendship Games! Clearly, CHS has had an unfair advantage for quite some time! And it's _obvious_ that your students have been using magic for their own benefit!" Didn't _you_ try to do the exact same thing?!

" _I'd_ like to think that saving the world benefits us all," Celestia says.

"At least they didn't manipulate Twilight into releasing all the stolen magic and turning into a power-crazed magical creature that tried to rip the world apart just to win a game," Sugarcoat says.

I mean... She's not wrong, but...

"Wow! That's a lot to take in when you say it all at once." What Pinkie said.

"That's ridiculous!" Cinch says.

"Nope, that's pretty much what happened." I _wasn't_ going crazy? That dog _did_ talk?

"What's the deal with Twilight's dog?" I ask Olivia.

"Oh... Did I forget to mention that? Yeah, Twilight's dog can talk, somehow."

"Actually," Sour Sweet says, "we're _all_ to blame. Mostly it was her!"

"Hey, Olivia and I don't deserve _any_ of the blame! We were the only ones who tried to prevent this whole thing from happening!"

"And you did your _best_ ," she says in her sarcastic 'sweet' tone.

"Obviously my students have been infected with your magic, but I plan on taking all of this up with the school board!"

"Good," Celestia says. "I'm sure they would be very interested in hearing all about the magical students with wings."

"And the portals to another dimension," Luna says.

"Don't forget about the talking dog," Cadance says with a giggle.

"'Cause that would _never_ ruin your reputation," Twilight's dog says.

She nervously looks around, then straightens her shirt and walks away.

"I know these Friendship Games haven't been what any of us expected," Celestia says, "but given what we've all just been through, I think it's fair to declare us all winners." So... it's a tie?

The students cheer.

* * *

"You sure you want to stay at Crystal Prep?" I ask Olivia as we sit down in the bus. "Cinch will probably make both our lives a living hell."

"I'll be fine. Dean Cadance will have our backs. Besides, I don't want you to go it alone like I did."

"I wouldn't be alone. We can still see each other after school."

"Yeah, and how did that work out when both of us were at CHS?"

"It worked fine until Sunset blabbed."

"Right, and we broke up because of it. I'm _not_ letting something like that happen again. I'm staying with you, and that's final."

Guess there's no talking her out of it. "Okay, fine." I kiss her. "No matter what she does to us, we'll still have each other."

She smiles.

When the bus starts moving, she rests her head against my shoulder, then happily sighs. "I love you."

That catches me by surprise. It seems too early for either of us to say that. It's only been a few weeks since we resumed dating. Then again, we've known each other for over a year, and our first stint as boyfriend/girlfriend lasted a few months. She was _very_ eager to pick up where we left off, and it seems everything that's happened over the past month has made us closer than ever. Having each other during the next few months while Principal Cinch will probably do everything she can to make our time at Crystal Prep miserable will strengthen our bond even more.

Now that I think about it, it feels like we were made for each other.

No regrets.

I reach my arm around her and place my hand on her waist. "I love you, too."

We remain like this for the entire bus ride back to Crystal Prep.

* * *

We get off the bus after everyone else does.

"May I walk you home?" I ask.

She takes ahold of my right hand and smiles. "I'd love that. Can we take the long way?" She lives across the street from the school, and the long way is walking to one of the crosswalks down the road.

She just wants to spend more time with the man she loves. Who am I to deny her? Especially when I want to spend more time with the woman I love. I return the smile. "Whatever you want, Liv." We make the relatively long trek to the nearest crosswalk.

After we cross the street, she interlocks her fingers with mine, then starts walking closer to me. This feels so much different than when we usually walk hand-in-hand. I wonder everything seems better when you're in love.

We arrive at her house.

"Today was incredible," I say.

"Absolutely. Best day of my life."

"Better than when we first met?"

"Well..." She sighs. "Actually, there's something I never told you." We stop, then she stands in front of me and grabs my other hand. "Do you know why I decided to hang out with you that week?"

"Because I sounded more sincere than everyone else."

"Well, yes. That wasn't the only reason. See... At the end of the week..." She takes a deep breath. "That week was going to be my last week at CHS."

It... It was? "You were planning to transfer to Crystal Prep _that_ early?"

"Oh, hell no! Crystal Prep wasn't even on my list. I wanted to transfer to a school far away from Canterlot. My parents and I talked it over, and we decided on a school in Manehattan."

Manehattan? "At least there was almost no chance of running into any other former CHS students."

"Almost everything was ready to go. We were set to move to Manehattan on Sunday, and I'd start my first day at Manehattan High on Monday."

Wow... "I had no idea... So when you agreed to meet up with me, you figured you had nothing to lose?"

"Yup. When you turned out to be just like everyone else, I knew I wouldn't have to tolerate it for very long. After the second day at your house, I had a strong feeling you truly wanted to be my friend. I chose to tough it out a little longer, and I'm glad I did."

"Even after things got worse at the start of the school year?"

"That's the past." She kisses me on the cheek. "Everything's better now, and that's all that matters."

" _Now_ who's the positive thinker?" I do the same.

She chuckles, then presses her lips on mine. It's no different from our other kisses, but this one feels more intense. I guess it's because we've professed our love for each other. We stay connected for about 15 seconds. I open my eyes and she does the same.

"So... Pick you up at noon tomorrow?" I ask.

"You don't have a car, though."

"I know. I was thinking we could walk to my house instead of having your parents drop you off."

She gives me a quick kiss. "That sounds wonderful." She then pulls me into a hug. "Good night, Flare," she whispers into my ear.

A perfect way to end one of the best days ever. "Good night, Liv," I whisper back.

We separate, then give each other one final kiss. She turns around and walks to her door.

I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

* * *

 **A/N: They make a surprisingly good couple. Too bad they never got back together in the actual story. ;)**


	2. Flare with Sonata & Sunset

**A/N: This is from an abandoned sequel to my original story. It takes place a month after the siren-up ending. For this, he and Olivia never reunited at the Friendship Games, he didn't confront "Gloriosa Everfree" (and never sirened up), and he didn't break up with Sunset.**

* * *

The past month has been rather uneventful, for the most part. I saw Adagio and Aria a couple more times, but I made sure to avoid eye contact. I found out that I actually have a singing voice now. Unfortunately, every time I sing, everybody around me that doesn't have Equestrian magic starts arguing with each other. Though since I was a terrible singer before, this doesn't really change anything.

The Dazzlings were able to manipulate others by singing, so maybe I could figure out how to manipulate everyone into not acting any different.

I notice something at the corner of my eye. I look to the left and I see somebody sitting by the window in what I think is a fast food place. The person has blue hair. It looks like...

It's Sonata. She's sitting by herself. Guess she _has_ left the other two.

Maybe I could trick her into telling me how to "control" these powers. Since this is Sonata, that'll probably be really easy. I walk through the door, and I notice this is a Taco Haven. Since I'm here, I might as well. I go up to the counter and order a taco with lettuce, cheese, and tomato sauce. Rather plain, but I don't like a lot of the stuff people put on tacos. Plus, this is a vegetarian town.

I walk over to where Sonata's sitting. "Mind if I sit here?"

She looks up at me. "Go ahead."

I sit across from her. "How have you been these last few months?"

She sighs. "It could be worse. I had to get used to eating actual food, but I found some stuff I like."

"You didn't eat before?"

"Well, I did, but I didn't _need_ to. We fed off of everyone's negativity, remember?"

"I thought you did that to grow stronger."

"That only works with magic."

"I see." I take a bite of my taco. It tastes... "Did they change the secret sauce or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"The few times I've gotten a taco here, it's _never_ tasted this good."

"It's Taco Tuesday. They _always_ taste better this time of week."

"Really? I thought that was just a marketing gimmick."

"Depends on where you get them from. Taco Haven always has the best tacos on Tuesdays."

I take another bite of my taco. I'm not normally a huge fan of veggie tacos, but I think I can make an exception. "So have you stopped hanging out with Adagio and Aria?"

"Yeah. The only reason I stuck with them was because we were the only sirens in existence. Adagio is okay, but Aria would get on my nerves." _Aria_ got on _her_ nerves? From what I saw, it was the other way around.

Now's a good time. "Speaking of sirens, I'm just curious... How did you girls get people to do what you wanted? I understand the song lyrics helped, but what about when you made the Battle of the Bands judges move the Rainbooms into the finals?"

"When we started doing the 'a _ **H**_ , _A_ **h** ' thing..."

Right... I forgot they can't sing anymore.

"...we just had to think about what we wanted them to do. If we didn't think anything, they would simply argue."

"What if you wanted them to do something other than what you were singing about?"

"It's a bit trickier. We have to think something like, 'Don't do this', while making sure we don't mess up the lyrics."

"I see." I suppose with practice, I can manage to keep everyone from falling under my spell. I finish my taco. "I gotta get going. I need to meet up with a few of my friends." I stand up.

"Flare?"

"Yeah?"

"Um... I thought about what you said to me after the Battle. You see, I..." She looks nervous. "I never liked being a siren. Causing everypony to argue, feeding off of their negativity... I didn't want to, but I had no choice. The only reason I stuck with Adagio and Aria after we were banished was because they were the only people I knew in this world. After spending hundreds of years here, I got used to living a relatively normal life."

"If you've been here for hundreds of years, why do you girls look like teenagers?"

"Feeding on negativity would keep us from aging physically." Now I kinda wish I _did_ have one of those pendants. "When you said we could've been friends, I started thinking. Those two were never really my 'friends'; more like 'acquaintances'. I stopped hanging out with them shortly after the Rainbooms defeated us. I tried making friends with some of the students at your school, but they didn't want anything to do with a former siren. Since you're the only human we've had in our group, well... I want to take you up on that offer." She smiles, and holds out her hand. "Can... Can we be friends?"

I'm not sure... That story sounds a little absurd. I believe her being around for a really long time, but during that time, she easily could've blown them off and started doing her own thing. It's not like she needed the other two to use her powers. Plus, she's a former siren. This could be another trick.

Then again, she's here by herself, and I didn't see her with the other two last week. Maybe she's actually changed her ways.

...

Heh, this is just like when Sunny told me she had changed.

"Okay." I shake her hand. "I'll give you a chance."

Her smile grows wider. "For realzies?"

I nod. "Everybody deserves a second chance, and I _did_ mention being friends back then. Just don't try any funny business."

"Wouldn't dream of it! So what should we do first?"

"Uh..." She seems a little _too_ excited about this. "Well... I kinda made plans with my other friends for today."

"Oh..." she says, disappointed.

"How about we meet up tomorrow? Sugarcube Corner, around noon?"

"You mean the Sweet Shoppe? I don't understand why everybody calls it that."

Really? I figured of all people, she'd understand why. "Wasn't there a place called Sugarcube Corner in that area that out-of-towners kept confusing for a horse food store?"

"That's just a legend that the locals came up with. Nothing has ever been formally called 'Sugarcube Corner'. Maybe in Equestria, but not here."

"Interesting..." Now I'm curious why people started calling it that in the first place. Maybe it's where the Wondercolts would go after winning their games, and that was their nickname for it. "But yeah, noon's good."

"Alright, then. I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Bye!"

I walk outside. I hope I didn't make a mistake doing this.

* * *

 *****The next day*****

I leave the house and hop on my bicycle.

After talking with Sonata yesterday, I told the Rainbooms I'm meeting with a friend today that I haven't seen in a while. They wanted to join me, but I told them I'd prefer to talk with the person alone. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to be around her, anyway.

I arrive at Sugarcube Corner and park my bike in the rack. I open the door and look for Sonata. She's sitting at the table the Rainbooms usually sit at. I walk up to the counter.

"Oh, hello, Flare," Mrs. Cake says. "The usual?"

I spot a cone-shaped pastry in the display case. "What's this cone thing?"

"That's a chocolate cornet. It's something one of my husband's friends told him about. It's a pastry cone filled with chocolate custard: Milk chocolate and a few cashews for texture. We started selling them today, and our customers love it."

"Sounds delicious. I'll have two of them."

"Coming right up!" I pay for them, and Mr. Cake brings them out from the back. I pick them up and walk up to Sonata's table.

She looks at me. "You showed up!"

"Of course I did." I sit down. "I don't wanna make a bad first impression as your friend." I notice she doesn't have anything to eat or drink. "Not hungry?"

"Nah, I ate earlier. What are those?"

"These are chocolate cornets. Apparently they're really good."

She looks closely at them. "Are they completely filled with chocolate?"

"I think so." I move one toward my mouth to take a bite.

"You're eating them _that_ way?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Well, if they're filled with chocolate, wouldn't biting the skinny end push the chocolate out of the opening?"

Hmm... I look at the other end. "I guess. Though if you start on the fat end, it feels like you start eating less as you finish up. Besides, when you eat a pizza, you don't start at the outer crust."

"With pizza, the sauce doesn't get forced out of the crust."

She has a point. "Well, I have two of them. I can try both ways." I put my other hand under the fat end of one just in case, and I take a bite from the skinny end. I feel some of the chocolate fall onto my hand. "Huh... Guess you were right." I lick the chocolate off. It's really good. I see why everybody likes these.

"So how have things been going for you lately?"

"Oh, amazing! Even before Sunset Shimmer ruined my school life, I've _never_ been this happy. I have seven friends, I've made up with Sunset, and I have a girlfriend I'm proud to be seen with in public."

"I guess you can thank the Dazzlings for that."

"Honestly, if it weren't for you and the other sirens, I probably would've moved to another city."

"The teasing was _that_ bad?"

"Well, it had more to do with how often they were teasing me. I don't dwell on that anymore. Like how Sunset used to act, that's in the past. The Rainbooms made me their backup drummer."

"Backup drummer?"

"Yeah. In case Pinkie Pie can't make it, I fill in for her." I finish the first cornet.

"She's the upbeat pink one, right?" I nod. "You sure you can drum at her level? She's really good."

"I've had time to practice." I sigh. I should tell her. "Actually, I have a confession to make. Before the Battle of the Bands, I never actually played the drums. The drum line for 'Under Our Spell' was the first one I ever came up with."

"For realzies?" She looks surprised. "Wow... For someone who never drummed before, that was a good drum line."

"That's not entirely true. While I never played a real drumset, I've played Rock Hero, a video game that uses a controller shaped like one. It's not a perfect simulation, with only 4 pads and 3 cymbals, but apparently it was close enough."

"You'll have to show me that later."

I look at the other cornet. "Well, here goes..." I take a bite from the fat end, then look at the table. "No mess."

"Told ya!"

Maybe this _is_ how you're supposed to eat them. I take another bite.

"You said you used to have a girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, until Sunset found out about her."

"What was she like?"

What was she like... "She was great. Her name's Olivia, and she's missing the bottom half of her right leg. She's really nice when you get to know her, but I guess everyone sees her missing leg and labels her a freak. She told me I was the first person to actually talk with her. Everybody else either made fun of her or was too afraid of being ridiculed."

"So why weren't _you_ afraid?"

"I wasn't thinking of the consequences. She looked miserable when I saw her around school, and I figured she could use at least _one_ friend. We were careful to not be seen together in public, so most of the time, we hung out at her house or mine. After a few months, we started dating. I thought she was charming, and I guess she liked that I actually took the time to be her friend. I never got around to asking what she saw in me."

"When did Sunset find out?"

"Beginning of October last year, a couple weeks before the Fall Formal. We were a little too confident, so we started coming here together. We left holding hands one day, and Sunset saw us. The next day, she told the entire school, and then I became a target of their insults as well. We were forced to break up, and we thought that would get them to stop. They didn't, and she started getting it even worse than before. It got so bad, she had to move away, and things got worse for me. The other students only had one target now."

I feel myself start to get choked up, but I try to maintain my composure. It's still difficult trying to remember the entire thing.

"I put all the blame on Sunset for finding out and ruining the next several months of my school life, including my friends wanting nothing to do with me. Looking back, that was selfish. I was the one that decided to befriend her. I knew the risks. Yet I didn't take any of the blame. It wouldn't have stopped the teasing, but I probably would've been able to deal with it better. I also wouldn't have been tricked by the Dazzlings, wouldn't have made up with Sunset, and wouldn't have the Rainbooms as friends." I chuckle. "In hindsight, sounds like I was right to do that."

"But you were miserable for months."

"I know, and I want to forget all of that ever happened. But being miserable for that long is what made you three want to trick me. If it weren't for that..." I sigh. I don't want to talk about this anymore. "Enough about me. So what have you been doing in your post-siren life?"

"Not much. I'm still getting used to not being able to get people to do what I want."

"Did you try getting a job?"

"All I know is singing, which I can't do anymore. What kind of job could I get?"

"I see. Where have you been staying?"

"With Adagio and Aria."

Really? "I thought you stopped hanging out with them."

"I don't have anywhere else to go. They let me stay there, but I don't really talk with them."

"How are you three able to afford staying at that place?"

"Did you forget we used to be sirens? We sang to the landlord when Adagio signed the lease and got him to let us stay rent-free." Hm... Would that count as good or evil?

"What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Well, I normally sing for fun. Haven't been able to do that lately, though."

"Oh, come on. It can't be _that_ bad."

She clears her throat.

 _w_ e'V **e** g _ **O**_ t _t_ h **E** mU **s** _ **i**_ C, m _ **A**_ K _e_ **s** _Y_ **o** u _m_ _ **o**_ V _ **E**_ i _T_

Wow, that's bad. "Okay, okay, I get it." She stops. "Anything besides singing?"

"I like to dance once in a while."

"You do?" She nods. "Any particular dance you like?"

"Not really. There are a few songs I really like dancing to."

"Think you could show me some of your moves later?"

"I dunno... Aria always thought they were lame."

"Well, I'm not Aria." I finish the second cornet.

"You wanna come over to my house for a bit?"

"Uh... I dunno... My last encounter with them made me think they're up to something."

"Don't worry. They won't be home 'til later this evening."

Up to something...

I'm starting to have doubts again. She lives with them, but she doesn't hang out with them? I know those two are up to something, but what if Sonata is part of whatever they're planning? They might _want_ me to think they've gone their separate ways.

Then again, this is Sonata. The girl who didn't know an apple from a grape. If she _is_ part of their plan, she would've let it slip by now, at least from what Sunny told me. Besides, would Adagio _really_ trust Sonata with something like this? I know Aria wouldn't.

...

"Flare?"

I stand up. "Let's go."

* * *

We arrive at the Dazzlings' house. "Where should I put my bike?"

"Put it on the side of the garage," Sonata says.

I walk over to the garage. Maybe I should just stop riding this. I always end up having to walk alongside other people. It's more hassle than it's worth. I place it on the other side, then walk back to Sonata.

"It's not much, but it was the only place available at the time." She opens the door, and we walk inside.

In the living room, a couple people are sitting on a couch. They look like...

...

Damn it...

"You!?"

Why are they...

"What are _you_ doing here?"

I look at Sonata. "Why are _they_ here?"

"I dunno." She looks at the other two Dazzlings. "I thought you two were at work today."

"There was a fire," Aria says, "and the restaurant had to close down early. Why did you bring Cloudflop here?"

"Sonata invited me," I say. I turn to Sonata. "Sorry, I gotta go. Those two are up to something, and I don't want to be anywhere near them."

"What's the matter?" Adagio taunts. "Afraid we'll _take_ something from you?

I ignore her. "We should go to my house next time. I'll see ya later." I turn around and open the door.

"Flare, wait!"

I leave and close the door behind me. Never coming _here_ again. I get on my bike and ride away from the house.

...

I just realized I never got Sonata's number. If she even _has_ a phone, that is. Guess I have to hope I run into her again.

* * *

I arrive at Cherry's Diner. I check the time. 6:59. A minute early.

As soon as I put my phone away, I see her approaching.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"Nope. Just got here." Sunny and I hug, then kiss. "Shall we?"

She holds my hand. "Lead the way."

We walk into the diner and sit at our usual booth. After a long, stressful day, spending time with my girlfriend is just want I need.

The waitress walks up to us. "Hello, welcome to Cherry's Diner." She hands us each a menu. "I'm Sugar Belle, your waitress this evening. Would you two like something to drink?"

"I'll have an iced tea," Sunny says.

"Me, too."

"Two iced teas. Okay, be right back." She leaves the table.

I open my menu. Salads, soups, veggie burgers... Not feeling adventurous this evening. Think I'll just get the same thing I got last time. I set the menu down. Sunny is still looking at hers.

A few moments later, she puts it down, and the waitress returns. "Alright. Iced teas." She places the glasses on the table. "Are you both ready to order?"

"We are," Sunny says. "Mushroom soup and onion rings for me."

The waitress writes down Sunny's order.

"Just spaghetti and a couple buttered rolls."

She writes down my order, then picks up the menus. "Okay. It'll be out shortly."

"Didn't you get spaghetti on our last date?"

"I don't feel like trying something different today."

"How come?"

"Well, Rainbow and I got in an argument. You know how I keep competing with her at video games despite her usually stopping the game when she's losing?"

She nods.

"It's annoying, but I don't mind it because I know I won. Today, though, she went too far. We were playing Dance Center, and I was ahead by quite a bit."

Her eyes grow wide. "She didn't!"

I nod. "She did. When the song was almost finished, she knocked me over. It didn't hurt, but I was pretty mad. She told me it was an accident, but I didn't buy it. I told her she always interrupts the game when she's losing, but it's never gotten physical. Then I said, 'How are you still on the soccer team if you act this way?'"

"Why did you say that? You know how passionate she is about soccer."

"When you get mad, sometimes you speak without thinking. She got mad at me for that, we had a bit of a shouting match, and I stormed out of her house."

"Wow... I hope this doesn't hurt your friendship."

"It'll take more than that to break us up, at least to me. All that did was make me not want to compete with her anymore." I take a drink of my tea. "So what did _you_ do today?"

"I helped Pinkie put together a party."

Another one? "That girl is always throwing parties... What was it for this time?"

"It was for Gummy."

Her baby alligator plushie... "How did it go?"

"About as well as you'd expect a celebration for a stuffed animal to go. It was fun, though. She invited all of our friends. She would've invited you, but you were busy. How'd that go, anyway?"

"It was... interesting..."

"Interesting?"

Should I tell her?

...

"Make sure you keep this between us."

"Why?"

"The others probably wouldn't want to know about this. You'll understand why when you hear it."

"Okay, I promise. How bad could it be?"

"Pinkie Promise."

"That bad, huh?" I nod. "Okay. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She goes through the motions.

I sigh. "This friend isn't from the next town over, and we met fairly recently."

"Who is it?"

"Sonata Dusk."

"Sonata Dusk? As in, Sonata Dusk the siren?"

"That's the one."

"Well, I see why you don't want to tell them. Why are you hanging out with them again?"

"It's not all of them. Only Sonata. She says she's changed her ways."

"And you believe her?" She sounds irritated. "They've been evil for hundreds of years. Being evil's all she knows!"

"I didn't think _you_ had changed either."

"There's a huge difference between being a jerk for a few years and being evil for hundreds."

"Just trust me on this."

"I trust _you_. It's the sirens that I'm concerned about. How do you know this isn't another trick?"

"It's Sonata. If this is a trick, she'll accidentally tell me."

"That's true..."

The waitress returns with our food. She puts Sunny's food on the table, then mine. "There you go. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Thanks." She leaves.

"How did you two meet up?"

"I saw her yesterday when I was walking past Taco Haven. I wanted to get her to explain exactly how they manipulated people with their singing."

"You're not gonna turn evil, are you?"

"Nah. Unless you're into bad boys."

"Not anymore."

"I don't want to accidentally get everybody riled up if I start singing to myself. As I was getting up to leave, that's when she told me she had changed."

She sighs. "I sure hope you know what you're doing. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"What can they do to me? I have their magic."

"I guess..."


End file.
